Tying Up Some Loose Ends
by LadyBug22153
Summary: I'm back! After over a year long hiatus, I have finally finished my story...Maybe. Better summary is inside.


Ok, so this is a follow up to my other story "The Replacement". It's also a response to the horrific season finale. Heh I had actually begun to write this story a while ago, but didn't know where to go with it. After the finale, I was able to finish it. So if you need a little background, I suggest you read "The Replacement". If not, you may be a little lost. This is kind of the end of that story (Unless I get positive feedback...) and it saves me the time of writing 15 more chapters to fill in all the gaps. Anyhow, just read, and enjoy. Please be kind with any commetns that are made. Though I can handle constructive criticism, I don't tolerate "This sucks" comments very well. And as always, here is my warning: VERY ANTI-GSR. If you are a G/S shipper, I suggest you stop reading now. Hehe

_Sara had entered his room wearing a white nightgown and frilly robe. She said something, but he couldn't remember what. They had been discussing death, not an uncommon topic for them. He had told her he would like to be diagnosed with cancer so he had time to prepare. The rest of the conversation was muffled. The room, as well as Sara, turned wavy and swirled into a blur..._

Grissom rolled over onto his side as his eyes fluttered open. He laid there for a moment, staring at the wall. It wasn't his own, but it was still familiar. Was he at Sara's? He rubbed his eyes and took a deep breath. The familiar smell of her shampoo filled his nostrils, and he grinned. He was somewhere better than Sara's house.

He rolled onto his other side and watched her as she slept quietly next to him. He brushed the hair off her cheek and ran a finger along her chin. _"God she's beautiful...", _he thought. She looked so peaceful, he didn't want to wake her. So he slid out of the bed as quietly as he could and made his way to the kitchen to get a bowl of ice cream. Then he turned on the tv, and settled in his favorite chair. He didn't intend to watch the tv, he just needed something to distract him. After finding a special on sea otters, he hit the mute button.

His mind began to wander as he watched the otters swim in silence. They had been seeing each other for a few months now, but he still hadn't officially broken things off with Sara. That fact hadn't bothered him until tonight. Everything had happened so fast, he could barely recall exactly how it all started. He had planned on telling Sara, but every time he tried, his mouth went dry, and he couldn't say a word.

"_How did it all start?" _Gil asked himself. He finished his ice cream and put the empty bowl on the end table. He watched the sea otters for a few more minutes before he started to drift off to sleep again. He began to remember how it all had started, how he had ended up here in her house so many nights.

_She arrived a few days after Nick had been released from the hospital. She had been very shy at first, but everyone grew to like her; including Grissom. He found himself scheduling her with him as often as he could, just so he could see her._

_One case in particular stuck out in his mind. Before they had left, he had called her in early. When she got to his office that afternoon, he was looking at a Golden Silk Spider he had found making a web on his truck that morning. That's when he found out they shared a love of insects. Later, at the scene, he had helped her out of a ditch. Sara was mad at him and slapped his hand away when he went to help her too. "I don't need your help," she had said. Not really said, more like growled. She was mad, and he knew it. When they got back to the lab, she let him know just how angry she really was._

"_Why did you have to help her!"_

"_I was being polite, Sara. There's no reason for you to be mad at me."_

"_She was already out! You had no reason to grab her hand and help her!"_

"_I can't even believe we're having this conversation... Nick's helped you out of holes and up stairs before, and you don't see me freaking out!"_

"_You know what? We're done."_

"_Come on Sara..."_

"_No, wait. We're not done. We're just gonna take a break from each other. We've been working a lot together... Everything's just strained. How about this? We'll only talk when we have to. Ok? No dinners after work, no going over each others houses. Only for a week. Got it?" _

"_Fine..."_

_After they had catalogued the evidence they collected, he had sent Sara home. Then he grabbed Shelly the spider, a jar of crickets, and headed for her office. She was sitting at her computer loading the photos from the scene when he walked in. _

"_Hey, look what I got." He held up the jars for her to see._

_She smiled up at him from the desk. "I"ve been waiting to feed Miss Shelly here all day. I bet she's starving!"_

_They gave the spider a cricket and watched as it moved in for the kill. While they were waiting, they had gotten to talking about roller coasters. She had mentioned a new coaster was opening at the amusement park that weekend. _

"_Why don't we go together?" he asked._

"_Really? I...I don't know. Sara already doesn't like me... That wouldn't help matters..."_

"_Who says she has to find out?" He put his hand over hers. "C'mon. It'll be fun, I promise. Scout's honor."  
_

_After he gave her the puppy dog eyes, she reluctantly agreed to go. He was nervous about Sara finding out too. But hey, they were on a "break", right?_

_At the park, he had found out why she had been sent all the way from New York; Ecklie was a friend of her father's. He called her immediately when Nick was put on medical leave. She was only supposed to stay for the time Nick was gone, but everyone had gotten used to her being on the crew. So they hired her as a permanent part of the Graveyard Shift. _

_That was the first night they spent together. After spending the entire day at the park, she had invited him over. They ordered pizza and watched movies all night. There was no sex involved, but it had still been one of the best nights he had ever had. She had fallen asleep with her head in his lap that night. From then on, it had felt so natural. _

_A few days later had been their first kiss. They had gone out to dinner and a movie; a silent movie. It was one of his favorites. When he dropped her off at home, she kissed him half on the lips, half on the cheek. Her kiss had felt so warm, her hand so soft on his face, he didn't want it to end. So when she turned to go up the stairs, he grabbed her by the arm of her coat and spun her around. She was surprised, but he did it anyway: He leaned in and kissed her again. That was also the first time they slept together. _

_He had been really worried about Sara finding out now. She had called off the "break", and was spending time with him again. It killed him that he couldn't see her as much as he had been. Tonight, however, he had been able to sneak away from Sara. He told her something about needing "alone time" and that he was going to rent a room for the night. Now here he was, at her house, sitting in "his" chair at 3 a.m. ... _

"Hey Gris," she whispered quietly. She ran her fingers through his hair, "Pst, Gil!"

His eyes twitched and he rolled his head side to side before opening them. "Oh...Hey..." He rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "Jeeze, what time is it?"

"A little after five... I woke up a few minutes ago and noticed you were gone," she stroked his cheek with her thumb. "Why don't you go lay down for a little while longer? You know you know you don't have to be anywhere today."  
"Yeah...Maybe."  
" Or..." She sat down next to him on the roomy chair and put her head on his shoulder. "We could always just stay here."

He kissed her on the forehead and wrapped his arms around her. "You know I'd love to do that. But I just thought of something I have to do today."

"Oh?"

"Yeah... I have a little "un-finished business" I have to attend to."

Carmen's face twisted a little as she sighed. "I know what you're talking about... It's ok. It needs to be done." She shifted in the chair so she was facing him. "All I can say is "good luck" and..." She ran a finger down the buttons on his shirt.

"And what?" He looked at her quizzically.

She smiled a sly little smile, leaned in until their foreheads were touching, and whispered, "It's about damn time." She laughed a little laugh and kissed him on the nose. "Now go. It's time to stop stalling." Carmen got up from the chair and went to the coffee maker. Grissom got up as well and followed her to the kitchen.

"I'll be back as soon as it's over." He grabbed his coat, and kissed her on the cheek.

"Ok. But if I don't hear from you in at _least_ an hour, I'm going to assume it got ugly."

"Oh stop... I don't think it'll be _that_ bad."

"As long as you don't tell her about _us,_ it shouldn't be too bad." She frowned as she filled the coffee pot.

Gil snuck up behind her and hugged her close. "Don't worry. I won't say anything." He kissed her again on the cheek, "I promise."

"Alright. As long as you promise."

"Scout's Honor."

Carmen giggled to herself. He had kept all the other promises he had made to her and knew this one wouldn't be any different. She just liked to hear him say, "Scout's Honor".

"Make sure you call me though. I'll get breakfast ready while you're on your way back."

"Will do." He opened to door and blew her a kiss, "Love you."

"Love you too," she flicked on the coffee pot and started gathering things for breakfast.

The whole ride to Sara's house seemed like some crazy, surreal dream. Cars whizzed past. Houses flew by as giant amorphous blobs. Street lights blended together, then went back to normal as they changed.

"_It has to be done..." _Grissom told himself as he drove. _"It's been almost six months. You have to do it. No more sneaking around." _

Before he realized what time it was, he had reached Sara's apartment building. It was just about six in the morning. _"She's an insomniac...I'm sure she's awake." _

He sat in the car for a few moments thinking about what to say. _"Just be straight forward. Tell her you found someone else." _

"No...I can't do that! I made a promise to Carmen... Sara _can't _find out about us..." He hit his fists on the steering wheel in frustration. "Damn!"

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Just tell her...Things aren't working out. Tell her... You thought everything was ok between us and that balancing work and our private lives was ok. ...But now it's not." He opened his eyes and looked out the windshield. "Yeah... That'll work."

Grissom took another deep breath before opening the door. "Just stay focused..." He told himself.

Walking up the stairs to Sara's seemed strange. He hadn't been to her apartment in the six months he had been seeing Carmen. Every time they got together for dinner, she wanted to be at his house. The last time they slept together, it had been at his house. That was just about seven months ago.

When he reached her door, he stood there for a moment just looking at it. He reached in his pocket to find the key she had given him. _"Last time I'll be needing this." _Grissom thought to himself, turning it over in his palm. He put the key in the lock and winced as the tumblers rolled to open it.

Once he opened the door, he saw Sara sitting in her living room watching the news.

"Hey you!" She got up from the couch and greeted him with a kiss. "How was your "alone time"?"

Grissom pressed his lips together to try to avoid the kiss. He didn't want this to be any more difficult than it had to be.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?" She looked at him with concern in her eyes.

"Actually...Sara..."

"What?"

"_Just say it, damnit..." _He swallowed the lump in his throat, "We need to talk..."


End file.
